munroe



(No Model.) 3Sheets-Sheet 1. T. W. MUNROE.

AUTOMATIC MECHANISM FOR STATION INDICATORS. No. 875,182. Patented Dec.20, 1887.

N. PETERS, Plumb-Lithographer. Washington, D. C.

3'Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) Y

T. W. MUNROE.

AUTOMATIG MBGHANISM FOR STATION INDICATORS.

Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

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3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

T. W. MUNROE.

AUTOMATIC MECHANISM FOR'STATION INDICATORS.

Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

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Mines 5 e a N PETERS, vnmumo m. WIIHRQWILDIC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS WILLIAM MUNROE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO HENRYBURPEE BERRYMAN, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC MECHANISM FOR STATION-INDICATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,182, dated December20, 1887.

Application filed July 28, 1887. Serial No. 245.572. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, THOMAS WILLIAM MUN- ROE, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, residing in the city and county of San Francisco' andState of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin'Automatic Mechanism for Statio n-Indicators; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my saidinvention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. I

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for operating stationand street indicators in railway-cars; and it consists in certain novelconstruction and combination of parts and mechanism, as hereinafter morefully described, for working indicators by .or from the movement of thecar along the track.

I construct and apply my said improvements and carry out the inventionas follows,

the said drawings that form part of this speciiication being referred toby figures and letters: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the end portionof a car with an indicator-box in position and the automatic mechanismapplied to work it. Fig. 2 is a view, taken from the left-hand side ofFig. 1, of that part of the mechanism which is acted upon directly byfixed stops in the roadway. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mechanismon a larger scale. Fig. 4 is a top view; and Figs. 5 and 6, crosssections in elevation taken at the lines a: 00 and y 1 respectively, ofFig. 4. Fig. 7 represents an arrangement of the mechanism for working anindi- 3 5 cator on cars that are turned'or switched from one track tothe other at the end of the road topresent the opposite end each time tothe front, the mechanism shown in the other views being adapted for carsthat are switched by a 0 turn-table to present the same end forward.Fig. 8 is an elevation in cross-section taken at the line a: m, Fig. 7.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

This improvement may be said to consist, principally, of acontinuously-rotating shaft giving motion to a spur-gear, whichconstitutes the prime mover, and two sets of mechanism,of which,onebeing connected to or with the indicator-box mechanism, is thrown intoand out of engagement with the prime mover by the other set ofmechanism. The continuously-rotating shaft is driven by being connectedwith one axle of the running-gear of the car, and the mechanism whichstarts the movements or throws the indicator-operating mechanism intoengagement with the said shaft is itself acted on by fixed stopsorprojections in the roadway.

A and B are two sprocket-wheels, one fixed on an axle of one of thetrucks and the other on the shaft 0, which thus receives rotationcontinuously from the axle by the drive-chain D. The shaft and otherparts of the mechanism are mounted in a frame, W, that is secured to thecar-floor underneath the seat where sufficient room is generally to behad, and the drive-chain is carried through openings cut in the floor tothe axle below.

E E are two bars furnished with gear-tooth 7o portions at one end andwith ratchettooth portions 6 e at the oppositeend to engage,respectively, with the spur-gear F on the shaft 0 and the tworatchetwheels P P on the shaft N at the opposite end of the frame. The 7ratchet-tooth portions 6 0 are set into the wheels I and kept in contactby springs t, one bar above and the other bar beneath its wheel, and oneis formed to act the reverse of the other, so that while both bars mayreceive at difierent times a forward movement in the frame the shaft Nwill be turned either forward or backward. Thus, if the upper bar isworking, the shaft N will turn forward, and if this bar remains at restand the lower bar receives motion the shaft will turn in the reversedirection. Connection between the shaft N and the indicator-operatingmechanism in the box a: above is made by suitable means, suchasasprocket-wheel, S, and achain 0 belt, T. The gear-tooth portions ofthe bars face the spur-gear F on the continuouslydriven shaft, but donot engage the wheel except as they are thrown into it by the levers GGP, and therefore the mechanism stands atrest 5 while the shaft runswith the axle; but as one or the other of the bars is thrown into thegear-wheel F the reciprocating movement of the bar then taking placeproduces rotation of the sprocket-wheel on'the shaft N, the forward 10omotion of the bar being given by the gearwheel and the backward movementby the spring R in each case.

The levers G are fulcrumed at g and are operated by the partial rotationof an upright rod or shaft, K, that is mounted underneath the car and isturned by contact of its foot L with a wedge-shaped block V, fixed inthe roadway and in the path of the projecting foot;

The connection of the shafts or rods'K with the levers G is made bycrank-arms 7.: 7;, the connecting-rods I, and arms II, that work throughslots cut in the car-floor.

In' the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the following detailviews of that mechanism each lever G is connected to its own rod K, andthe two rods are fixed side by side at suitable distance apart, each toengage with its own line of stops or wedge-shaped projections. In thiscase the car presents the same end to the front in its travel on bothtracks, and therefore the two rods K K are arranged for alternateoperation, one on the tip-track and the other on the return-trip whenthe car is traveling on the other track. The stops V are suitably setinline in both roadways between the rails, so that the foot L of one redengages the stops and is pressed back by them on one track, but clearsthose on the other track with which the foot of the other rod, K", comesin contact when the car changes its travel from one track to the other.Thus the lever G, being depressed by the partial rotation of the rod K,throws the bar E into the spur-wheel F; but by movement of the otherlever,'G the bar E is broughtinto action and the direction of movementof parts that work the indicator is reversed accordingly.

The construction shown in Fig. 7 is adapted to cars that are turned atthe end of the trip to present different ends in different directions oftravel, and in those cases of application where the rotation of the axlefrom which the continuously-driven shaft receives motion is sometimes inone direction and sometimes reversed. In this case the two bars D areplaced on opposite sides of the spur-gear F, and the depressing-levers GG being fixed to the same hub have asingle arm, H, from which connectionto the crank-arm 7c is made by the red I.

Movement of the crank-arm to the right depresses the lever G Fig. 7, andbrings down the bar 13*; but to the left it throws the other lever, G,into action, and thus raises the lower bar, E, to engage the gear-wheel.The two bars pass between spring-fingers M M, that are pivoted at m to astandard on the bedplate of the frame W, just behind the shaft 0, andare held together by springs m in such manner that the inclined faces ofthe two fingers form a guide for the bar in its backward movementposition the bar rests in the space between the inclined faces of thefingers, and when the bar is thrown into the gear F by the lever G thepressure causes the fingers to yield, and the bar slips into the spacebelow theshoulders or catches m which then spring back again into placeover the bar and keep it down against the gear during the forwardmovement. In that arrangement of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7 two setsof fingers are used, for the reason that the two bars E E are onopposite sides of the shaft; but in the construction represented in theother figures the bars are on the same side or above the shaft, and onlyone set of fingers is required. The position of these fingers or thelength of the toothed portions of the bars determines the length of thereciprocation, as it will be seen that when the end of the bar slips outfrom beneath the catches m" it will be thrown away from gear and willthen be immediately returned by the reaction of the springs It. In thismovement the bar passes above the shoulders in the space formed by theinclined faces, and is thus guided and brought into position to be againthrown into gear when the lever G is moved. The post Y is placed behindthe fingers and in line with the bars to check the backward movement.

The position of the parts given in Figs. 2 to 6, inclusive, shows thebar E thrown into the gear-wheel and about to be moved forward, and theother bar, E resting in the notch or V-shaped space of the fingers,while Figs. 7 and 8 show the two bars out of action. Thislatter positionis the one assumed by the bars at all times while the car is running,and the-rods K of the setting mechanism do not meet with a stop in theroadway. The shaft 0 and gear F are therefore the onlycontinuously-running parts.

The spring m, Figs. 3 and 4, is applied to bring the rod K back intoposition after passing a stop, V, so that the foot L shall standproperly across the line of the next stop. In Fig.4 the foot L is set tomeet a stop while the foot L of the other red is shown as turned back bythe stop which it has met at that point. It should be noticed that thesestops when placed in a cable-road can be located in the cable-tube underthe roadway, and the rods K can be set to project into the grip-slot tobring the foot into position. \Vith the mechanism having two rods, K K',one will be set back of the other to extend into the grip-slot and notside by side, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure'by Letters Patent, isl 1. The combination, on-a railway-ear, of asuitable indicator-box, a continuously-rotating gear-wheel driven fromthe car-axle, the rack-bars E E having ratehet-tooth portions 6 eadapted to engage ratchet-wheels on a shaft, N,'connecting chain or beltbetween the indicator and said shaft, whereby the indicator mechanism isactuated by the movement ICC of said shaft, the levers G G, andmechanism for operating said levers at given points in the travel of thecar, consisting of fixed stops in the roadway and a rod or shaft whichis moved by contact with said stops and by its movement is adapted tooperate the said 1e vers, as hereinbefore described, for operation asset forth.

2. In an indicator-actuating mechanism for railway-cars, fixed stops inthe roadway, the setting'levers G,a shaft acted on by said stops, and aconnecting-rod extending from said shaft to move the setting-levers, incombination with the continuously-rotating shaft 0, carry-Y ing agear-wheel, and the reciprocating bars connected with the mechanism ofthe indicator-box to operate the same by virtue of the movement producedfrom the engagement of one or the other of said bars with the gear,substantially as described, for operation as set forth.

3. In an automatic mechanism for working indicators in railway-cars, thecontinuouslyrotating shaft 0, a gear-wheel driven by said shaft,reciprocating bars E E, adapted to be thrown into action with said gear,the ratchetwheels 1? and ratchet-teeth on said bars engaging therewith,and mechanism, substan-.

way and when so operated to set one or the other of said bars intoengagement with the continuouslydriven gear for operation, as set forth.

4. In combination with the continuouslyrotating shaft and gear, arack-bar, E, having a ratchet portion, e, to engage and move aratchet-wheel, P, on a shaft, N, the settinglever G, connecting -rodbetween said lever and a rod or shaft, K, beneath the car, a foot orextension, L, on said rod to engage with fixed stops in the roadway, aspring, R, applied to return the rack-bar to position again at the endof the forward movement, and the spring-fingers M, applied for operationas set forth.

5. In an automatic indicator operating mechanism, the combination of theactuating mechanism in the indicator-box with a continuouslyrotatingshaft. 0, a chain or belt connecting said shaft with the actuatingmechanism in the indicator-box and adapted to be connected with anddisconnected from said shaft, and a setting mechanism operated by orfrom fixed stops in the roadway to throw the said operating mechanisminto engagement with the continuousl y-rotatin g shaft, substantially ashereinbefore described, for operation as set forth. 60

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal.

THOMAS WILLIAM MUNROE. [L 5.] Vitnesses:

C. W. M. SMITH, CHAS. E. KELLY.

